Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Pequots for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students
and teachers to look through our main Pequot
page for in-depth information
about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with
Pequot pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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Pequot Nation

How do you pronounce "Pequot?" What does it mean?Pequot is pronounced "PEE-kwott." Most historians think it comes from the Narragansett word pequttoog (also spelled
pekwatawag,) which means "destroyers." The Narragansetts often fought with the Pequots, so they might have called them this name because
they were fierce warriors. On the other hand, many Pequot people believe that the real origin of the name is a different word from their own language
which has been lost to time. If so, perhaps the original name may have been similar to the Abnaki-Penobscot word b˘gwad, which
means "shallow" (like shallow water.)

Are the Pequots and the Mohegans the same tribe, or two different ones?
The Pequots and Mohegans are two different tribes. A long time ago, they were
once the same tribe, but the Mohegans broke away from the Pequots and formed their own tribe. The two tribes still speak the same language and share
many cultural traits, but they have different leadership, similar to American and British people today.

Where do the Pequots live today?
There are two Pequot Indian bands in Connecticut, which is the original
homeland of the Pequot tribe. There are also people of Pequot heritage living among the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes, and
vice versa. When Europeans arrived in New England, they brought European diseases with them, and many Native Americans died. Survivors
from related tribes often merged together with each other. That is why New England tribes like the Pequots have mixed heritage today.

How is the Pequot Indian nation organized?
There are two Pequot bands in Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequots and the Eastern Pequots. Though both bands belong to the
same cultural group, they live in different locations and each one has its own government.
Like other Native Americans in the United States, Pequot Indian tribes have their own reservations.
A reservation is land that belongs to an Indian tribe and is under their control.
But all the Pequots are also US citizens and must obey American law.

What language do the Pequots speak?
Pequot Indians all speak English today. In the past, the Pequots, Mohegans, Montauks, Niantics, and other tribes of Southern New England all
spoke the Mohegan-Pequot language. This language died out more than 100 years
ago, but some young Pequot and Mohegan people are working to revive it. You can read a Mohegan-Pequot picture glossary
here.

What was Pequot culture like in the past? What is it like now?
Here is a link to the
Mashantucket Pequot Museum, which has information about the heritage and traditions of the
Pequot people.

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How do Pequot Indian children live, and what did they do in the past? They
do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. In the past, Indian kids had more chores
and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have corn-husk dolls, ball games,
and toys such as kid-size bows and arrows. Pequot mothers, like many Native Americans, traditionally carried their babies in
cradleboards
on their backs--a custom which many American parents have
adopted now.

What were men and women's roles in the Pequot tribe?

Pequot men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Pequot women were farmers and also did most of the child care and cooking.
Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine. In the past, Pequot chiefs were always men, but today a Pequot Indian woman
could be chief too.

What were Pequot homes like in the past?
The Pequots didn't live in tepees. They lived in small round houses called wigwams.
Here are some pictures of Indian wigwams like
the ones Pequot Indians used.
Today, Native Americans
only build a wigwam for fun or to connect with their heritage, not for shelter. Most Pequots live in modern houses and
apartment buildings, just like you.

What was Pequot clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Pequot women wore knee-length skirts and the men wore a breechcloth and leather leggings.
Shirts were not necessary in the Pequot culture, but Pequot people did wear deerskin mantles in cool weather.
Pequot men and women both wore earrings and moccasins
on their feet. Here is a picture of Pequot clothing
and some photographs and links about Indian clothing in general.

The Pequots didn't wear long headdresses like the
Sioux. Usually they wore an
Indian beaded headband with a feather
or two in it. Sometimes a Pequot chief wore a headdress of feathers pointing straight up from a headband, like this.
Pequot men, especially warriors, often wore a
Mohawk hairstyle or shaved their heads completely
except for a scalplock (one long lock of hair on top of their heads.)
Pequot women usually had long hair.
Here is a website with pictures of Native Americans' hair.

Today, some Pequot people still have a traditional headband or moccasins, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead
of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.

What was Pequot transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes?
Yes, the Pequots made dugout canoes by hollowing out large trees. They used them for transportation and for ocean fishing trips.
Here is a website about Native American boat styles.
Over land, the Pequots used dogs as pack animals.
(There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.)
Pequot Indians used sleds and snowshoes to help them travel in the winter.
(They learned to make those tools from northern neighbors like the Cree Indians.)
Today, of course, Pequot people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Pequot food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Pequots were farming people. Pequot women harvested corn, squash and beans and also gathered nuts and fruit to eat. Pequot men did most of the hunting.
They shot deer, turkeys, and small game, and went fishing on the coast. Pequot Indian recipes included soup, cornbread, and stews.
Here is a website with more information
about Native American food recipes.

What kinds of weapons did the Pequots use?
Pequot hunters and warriors used bows and arrows, spears, and clubs. Fishermen used pronged spears, nets, and bone hooks.
Here is a website with pictures and information about Indian weapons history.

What are Pequot art and crafts like?
The Pequot tribe was known for their Indian beadwork
and basketry. Like other eastern American Indians,
Pequots also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were
traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The
designs and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a
person's family.

What other Native Americans did the Pequot tribe interact with?
The Pequots liked to trade with other Algonquian tribes of southern New England, such as the
Mohegan and
Wampanoag. But they were also powerful warriors.
Some of the tribes they fought against most often were the
Narragansett and
Montauk tribes.

What kinds of stories do the Pequots tell?
There are many traditional Niantic legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Niantic Indian culture.
Here's one legend about the Makiaweesug, who were mythical creatures
like brownies or fairies. All the Mohegan-Pequot speaking tribes told stories about little people like these..

What about Pequot religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately
in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about
New England Algonquian traditions and symbols or this site about
Indian religions in general.

Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
You may enjoy Where The Great Hawk Flies,
which is a novel for young adults about a half-Pequot boy living in the 18th century. If you want to know more about Pequot history and culture,
The Pequot Tribe is a good book for young readers,
or there's a more comprehensive history of
the Indian tribes of Connecticut here.
You can also browse through our recommendations of American Indian books in general.

How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and
Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization
working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organization
here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in
2015.

Thanks for your interest in the Pequot Indian people and their language!